THE LEAD: Dean earned a split in Saturday's tri-match, falling 3-0 in the opener to host and New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) leading Eastern Nazarene, before rebounding for a 3-1 victory over Masachusetts Maritime.

HOW IT HAPPENED vs. Eastern Nazarene: Dean fell behind early in the morning match, ceding eight straight points in the middle of set one before eventually falling 21-10.

Dean controlled play for much of the second set, scoring four of the first five points and leading 15-11 midway through. ENC took control in the second half of the set, scoring 14 of the final 20 points to win 25-21.

Set three was a back and forth affair throughout. Tied ten different times, the Bulldogs battled valiantly but the Lions proved to be too strong, scoring four of the last five points to hold on for the match.

HOW IT HAPPENED vs. Massachusetts Maritime: Game one of the second match was dominated by runs, with each team scoring four straight points multiple times. Dean went on the most important run, scoring four of the last five points to secure a 25-23 opening set win.

Mass. Maritime bounced back in set two, controlling play from the outset and cruising to a 25-15 win.

Dean fell behind 2-0 in set three, but responded with seven straight points to wrestle control of the game. The Bulldogs stretched their lead to 17-7 before a Bucaneer timeout, but MMA could get no closer, falling 25-14 to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead.

Set four was close throughout. Tied at 17, Dean seized momentum and scored eight of the final 11 points, earning a 25-20 win and a 3-1 final tally.